Police find body of missing 68-year-old woman

December 26, 2018

WESTERLY, R.I. (AP) — Police in Rhode Island have found the body of a 68-year-old Connecticut woman whose vehicle was found in a parking lot near the water in Westerly.

Police say Lucia Ritacco went shopping on Christmas Eve morning but didn’t return to her home in the Pawcatuck neighborhood of Stonington, Connecticut. Her family reported her missing at about 4 p.m. Monday.

Investigators say Ritacco’s Jeep was spotted by a surfer Monday parked at the Weekapaug Breachway in Westerly. The surfer called police because the vehicle was in the same spot Tuesday and he thought it was a strange location.

Rhode Island State Police brought in a cadaver dog which led police to the water. Authorities found the body in Winnapaug Pond on Wednesday.